The Winthrop Music Association has provided a generous donation of $2,000.00 to support the purchase of new choir robes for the growing program.

In an effort to develop a “System of Exceptional Teaching and Learning,” one of our six strategic areas of focus, the Methow Valley School District continues to expand its many educational programs – drama, choir and the elementary music program for students in grades K-2, just to name a few.

We are excited to announce that online registration is now open for Fall Cub Club!

FamilyID is the same system now being used at LBHS, and we hope it improves the speed and accuracy of our registration process over time. You will be required to create a FamilyID account once, and after that you will be able to log on and add new activities without needing to re-enter your family info.

If you need access to a computer at school to complete the registration process, please contact Katharine Bill, kbill@methow.org.

Fall Cub Club Schedule and Descriptions

Art Club 1 • September 27 – December 13th
Led by Bruce Morrison and Katharine Bill. This club will focus on basic drawing and painting techniques, specifically focused on the natural world. Limited to 15 students in Grades 1-3.

Art Club 2 • NEW START DATE! September 25th – December 11th
Led by Margaret Kingston and Bruce Morrison. This club will focus on more advanced techniques in drawing, watercolor, composition and murals. Limited to 15 students in Grades 3-6 (also open to Grade 2 if an older sibling is also enrolled).

MVE Choir • September 25th – December 11th
Led by Jennifer Simmons. This club, for Grades 3-6, is for students who like to sing and want to learn to sing in a group. No experience necessary.

Theater Club • September 26th – December 12th
Led by The Merc Theater. This club is for Grades 3-6 and will include improvisation, dance, reading and performance. Limited to 15 students.

Garden Club • September 28th – October 26th
Led by Classroom in Bloom, students in Grades 2-4 will be cooking, planting and doing fun art activities. Optional donation to cover snack costs will be requested. Limited to 12 students.

Green Team • October 3 – November 22nd
Led by Methow Recycles. This club is for Grades 3-6 and will focus on re-using and recycling all kinds of materials. Activities will include practical recycling systems improvement (at school and at home), art projects and field trips. Limited to 12 students.

Homework Club • October 5th – December 7th
Led by MVE. This club will provide time for students in 5th and 6th grades to do homework, with a knowledgeable adult present to provide help.

Horse Club – November 1 • December 13th
Led by MV Riding Unlimited. Students from grades 2-6 will learn about all things horse-related, and activities will include art, play and horse-study. Riding is not included.

Liberty Bell Senior, Emily Paul has initiated conversation with the Methow Valley School District and the Methow Valley Cascaders 4-H Club about a possible partnership. The partnership would allow participating students in grades 9 – 12 to receive high school credit and apply their 4-H projects to their 10th grade Personal Project and their 12th grade Senior Project.

The MVSD has a strong interest in developing knowledgeable and skillful students who can apply their learning outside of the walls of a classroom. As stated in its core beliefs, the district also recognizes, “We can’t do it alone. We can do it together.”

Simply put, there are many reasons as to why we think this makes good sense… Here a just a few that have been discussed so far:

Honors our community’s history, traditions, and cultures

Provides youth with an opportunity to develop and apply their knowledge and skills through authentic, real-world learning opportunities

Provides students with access to community-based mentors that have an interest in supporting our youth

Promotes the development of positive attributes and attitudes that are difficult to measure, yet serve as strong predictors of success in life

Acknowledges the hard work and dedication displayed by each student by counting their time spent exhibiting their learning at the Okanogan County Fair as a school day, rather than an absence from school

As such, the district will be meeting with Emily, Molly Patterson – Emily’s Senior Project Mentor, Suellen White – 4-H Coordinator, and others with 4-H to discuss how we take Emily’s vision and turn it into a reality for all students.

We look forward to sharing more as the partnership between the MVSD and the Methow Valley Cascaders 4-H Program begins to take shape!

In the wake of the smoky haze that has challenged us all, the MVSD is taking immediate action in support of the health and wellness of our students, and community use groups. We have ordered air purifiers for classrooms and workspaces.

While our HVAC systems work well, they are not necessarily designed to address such high levels of smoke-related pollutants for sustained and prolonged periods of time.

With this in mind, we have ordered New Comfort Ozone Generator and 6 Stage Air Purifiers that will be placed in classrooms and workspaces. Each air purifier includes hospital grade, washable HEPA filter, charcoal filter, negative Ion filtration, Photo catalytic filter, UV Germicidal light and Activated Oxygen Ozone generator.

Described as ultra-quiet and small (11’x12’x9′), they are designed to remove contaminants such as smoke, pollutants, allergens, bacteria, and viruses. They can be adjusted to different levels and cover up to 3,500 square feet.

We think this is a wise investment both short-term and long-term, given the the current fires, smoke and air quality, the likelihood of future fire and smoke-related events, the air stagnation we routinely experience during the winter season, and as part of our Emergency Operations/Response Planning – In the event our campus was needed as a community-based “Shelter in Place.”